Process and apparatus for treating municipal trash

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and a process for converting municipal trash into useful materials without wasting useful energy and with a minimum release of pollutants into the atmosphere. The system includes hydraulic means which moves rubbish, garbage and other municipal trash into a processor. The system in the processor contains a trash processing zone which is associated with the hdyraulic means, a fractionating system built into the roof, a combustion zone, a heating exchange zone, a waste heat recovery system and a precipitator for cleaning the emissions prior to release into the atmosphere.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. In a system for incinerating municipal trash having a processing cycle and an exhaust cycle, the improvement comprising: a. incinerator means comprising a processing zone and a combustion zone, said processing zone comprising convection heating means for heating municipal trash;   means for moving residue from said processing zone to said combustion zone, and grate means for collecting non-combustible residue and conveying said non-combustible residue out of said combustion zone;   said combustion zone containing means for burning said residue;     b. first checker means for introducing heated air into said processing zone combustion chamber so as to volatize oil and tar by-products and gaseous by-products;   c. second checker means for introducing heated air into said combustion zone for combustion of said residue;   d. fractionator means associated with said processing zone for separating said oils and tar by-products and gaseous by-products from said processing zone;   e. third checker means for recovering waste heat in an exhaust cycle;   f. a heat exchanger zone associated with said combustion zone for receiving heated gases from said combustion zone, and   g. means for introducing water into said heat exchanger zone for generating steam.   
     
     
       2. The system of claim 1 wherein said means for introducing water into the said heat exchanger zone is a condensor associated with said fractionator means, said condensor receiving steam emitted from said fractionator means. 
     
     
       3. The system of claim 1 including a turbine generator operatively associated with said heat exchanger zone whereby steam generated in said heat exchanger zone operates said turbine generator. 
     
     
       4. The system of claim 3 including means for transporting spent steam from said turbine generator to said fractionator means. 
     
     
       5. The system of claim 1 including condensor means associated with said fractionator means for receiving and condensing steam emitted from said fractionator means and passing said condensate to said heat exchanger zone. 
     
     
       6. The system of claim 1 wherein said heat exchanger zone includes a fourth checker means and a precipitator into which spent gases flow respectively out of said heat exchanger zone. 
     
     
       7. The system of claim 6 wherein said precipitator is an electrostatic precipitator. 
     
     
       8. The system of claim 1 including hydraulic means for introducing trash into said processing zone. 
     
     
       9. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said processing zone and combustion zone contains two pair of oppositely functioning damper means. 
     
     
       10. The system of claim 1 wherein said processing zone and said combustion zone comprise a vertically elongated treatment chamber, said treatment chamber having a lower most chamber opening through which trash to be treated is placed, a main combustion chamber into which the treated material is moved and subjected to combination temperatures with heated air, said lower most chamber comprising movable roof sections forming a fractionating system wherein by-products are collected and separated into different grades of oil by-products. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim 1 including a variable speed ejection fan for controlling the air and gas flow in said system. 
     
     
       12. A method of treating municipal trash in a system having a processing zone, fractionator means and heat exchanger means so as to recover valuable components and to generate steam comprising the steps of: (a) introducing said trash into a processing zone;   (b) heating said trash through convection so as to produce oil and tar by-products, gaseous by-products and water;   (c) removing said by-products and water components and passing them to a fractionator means for separation of said components;   (d) burning residue from step (b) with the use of pre-heated air and then passing the heated by-products of combustion and gases to a heat exchanger means; and   (e) recovering the residue from steps (c) and (d), and   (f) introducing water into the said heat exchanger means to form steam.   
     
     
       13. The method of claim 12 including passing the steam from step (f) into a turbine generator to generate electricity. 
     
     
       14. The method of claim 12 wherein spent steam is collected from said turbine generator and recycled to said heat exchanger means. 
     
     
       15. The method claim 12 wherein water from said fractionator means is collected and passed to said heat exchanger means. 
     
     
       16. The method of claim 15 wherein said water from said fractionating means is collected in a condensor. 
     
     
       17. The method of claim 12 wherein said heat is transferred through convection from a combustion chamber under the processing area. 
     
     
       18. The method of claim 12 wherein said air introduced in step (d) is pre-heated. 
     
     
       19. The method of claim 12 wherein spent gases from said heat exchanger means are used to heat the checkers in the exhaust cycle and said checkers heat the incoming air to increase the temperature of the combustion reaction. 
     
     
       20. The method of claim 12 wherein spent gases from said heat exchanger means are passed through checker means, through a precipitator and then through a variable speed ejection fan into a stack into the atmoshpere. 
     
     
       21. The method of claim 12 including controlling the rate of flow of gases and air so as to control the combustion rate and create vacuum within the system. 
     
     
       22. The method of claim 12 wherein said fractionator means is formed into different zones and the volatile by-products are partially cracked and separated in the different zones. 
     
     
       23. The method of claim 22 including moving the different grades of volatiles to a pair of condensors for forming condensates and then to a storage area. 
     
     
       24. The method of claim 23 including recycling combustible gas from a gas storage area to the processor combustion chamber.